Do atypical femoral fractures in patients with prolonged alendronate treatment heal

• Correspondence: O. Şahap Atik, M.D. Gazi Universitesi Tip Fakultesi Ortopedi ve Travmatoloji Anabilim Dali, 06500 Besevler, Ankara, Turkey. Tel: +90 312 202 55 28 Fax: +90 312 212 90 08 e-mail: satikmd@gmail.com Osteoporosis, which is a major health problem, may have an adverse impact on the economic status of the society and the quality of the life of the patients.[1,2] There are reports indicating that long-term alendronate use may cause an increased susceptibility to fractures.[3,4] Also, recent reports have suggested that a potential complication may be delayed union after atypical femoral fracture stabilization in patients taking long-term bisphosphonate.[5,6] This article describes two patients on long-term alendronate therapy which were treated for atypical femoral fractures healed with surgical treatment plus calcium, vitamin D support, and alendronate discontinuation.